Spatial analysis of meteorological drought in Chhattisgarh State

The present research work on spatial analysis of meteorological drought in Chhattisgarh state is carried out using rainfall data of 27 stations spread across the state. Percentage probability of moderate drought was high in Mahasamund (22%) followed by Raigarh (21%) and it was between 15 and 19% in the stations like Kanki, Gariaband, Rajnandgaon, Pratappur, Baloda bazaar, Raipur, Dantewada, Bhilai, Balod, Manendragarh and Ambikapur. In the case of severe drought, there was no severe drought in 11 stations out of 27 stations during the study period and highest probability was observed in Balod station (13%) followed by Champa, Pratappur (9%) and Rajnandgaon (8%). Since Chhattisgarh state having almost 80% cultivable land is under rainfed farming and most of the farmers are small/marginal, they do not have alternative choice in the event of drought unless otherwise prompt alternate employment/livelihood opportunities created. Popularizing weather based crop insurance scheme, community based drought mitigation/management programmes, creation of Climate Risk Managers at village level among farmers through effective extension programme and development and popularizing drought resistant cultivars for major crops to the end users are viable options to manage the drought impact.